So today I called JDM Legends looking for new wheels for the fb, when through conversation I discovered that I had been pronouncing Hakosuka incorrectly. Previously, I was saying something along the lines of "hey ko sue ka" which was way off.. So now I'm wondering what other JNC terms I have been completely butchering.. How is hachiroku pronounced? Bosozuku? Also, there are a lot of Japanese terms used on the JNC blog, and I don't know what they mean; wangan for example. Can we make a little cheat sheet to educate my western mind?

I took Japanese through high school and university, though I haven't kept it up as well as I'd like, if only my occupation gave sufficient opportunity...

A is "awe"I is "ea"tU is "ooh"E is "eh"O is "oh"

"U" vowel sound (and occasionally to a lesser degree "I") is generally glossed over quickly or omitted, especially at the end of a word (hakosuka= hakos'ka, hachiroku= hach'rok, desu, itadakimasu= etc.)

I always found the pronunciations fairly in line with how every other language enunciates vowels, so having been a bit surrounded by it, it was always amusing to hear my friend say things like "key car" (kei car) or "Kai-ooh-sha" (kyuusha) Japanese is very regular in pronounciation, especially once it's transliterated into our alphabet.

I'll leave particular terminology to others, but Wangan is a specific place name.

I thought that Wangan translated as highway or motor-way or something similar but I only saw one episode of Japanese Sesame Street and it was brought to me by the letters "A" and "E" and the numbers "8" and "6" so I really don´t know diddly squat about pronunciation or even some of the terminology used by the Japanese.I do not necessarily feel that it is essential to know the Japanese nicknames for cars, sub-cultures etc. but I do find it interesting and I think I would prefer to be informed, use the term in the correct context and pronounce it correctly.So, if anyone can contribute here and help edumacate oldisgold, myself and other members that would be great.Everyday is a school day.

Last edited by ToolZ on Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

OK, I am going to start the ball rolling here with some probably quite obvious words, names and terminology used that I think I know.Not sure on pronunciation and my descriptions may need refined. As people add more information I will edit and update this post.So here goes (in no particular order) -

Hachi - the number 8 Roku - the number 6Hachi-Roku - 8 6 (eight six) the Japanese name for an AE86 Corolla/Trueno/Levin

Tura - faceIchi - the number 1Turaichi - An architecture and design term literally meaning "one face" ie where two surfaces converge and become level on a single plane

Shakotan - car with lowered body (literally "short height car")

Oni-kyan - demon camber

Hippari tire - pulled or stretched tyres

Haiso car - older, low-rider style cars

Kaidou - Highway racer

Jinba ittai - often used in reference to the design approach taken by Mazda in conceptualizing the MX5 it means rider (jin) horse (ba) as one (ittai).

Sushi - something the "Yakuza" (see ref.) will turn you into with a Katana (see ref.) if you fail to be polite and respectful.

Geisha - friendly and helpful ladies who make a nice cup of green tea. Often accomplished musicians and trained in the art of traditional Japanese etiquette they are less likely to be addicted to crack-cocaine and steal your wallet than their western counterparts.

The Zen Method - a way of keeping your calm when frustrated by lying car sellers and ridiculous pricing while searching for your Japanese nostalgic car. The credo which is repeated like a mantra is - "The right car will find me at the right time". Originated in Dubai but is finding followers internationally. Requires practice and commitment but does not always guarantee success. When a practitioner loses it they have been known to behave like a Yakuza (see ref.) and use a Katana (see ref.) to make Sushi (see ref.) out of the lying, cheating, over pricing and time wasting vendor.When this happens it is recommended that the practitioner seek out a Geisha (see ref.) to help the practitioner of The Zen Method relax. Nothing beats a nice cup of green tea.

Anyway, I have to go back to work and do something productive today or I will be forced to sack myself.I will add more (genuine) entries later.

Oldisgold, there does not seem to be any takers to help us out here apart from Dachshund´s informed post (and my retarded post).Dmk66 posted a cryptic message about "ska coffer" which I had never heard of before. Did a search with no defining description. Best educated guess is that it is another name for a Hakosuka.

So, I believe that "Suka" is pronounced almost like "Ska" in English. Reference Dachsund´s post - "U" vowel sound (and occasionally to a lesser degree "I") is generally glossed over quickly or omitted, especially at the end of a word (hakosuka= hakos'ka, hachiroku= hach'rok, desu, itadakimasu= etc.)

And a "coffer" is a "small chest for holding valuables" so in other words a box.Ska coffer - Skyline box.Perhaps it is an alternative nickname or a translation from Japanese written language into English - me not know.

Its a guess so if you are reading this Dmk66 please correct me if I have this wrong.

I will post another obvious one here which everybody who knows thinks everybody else knows but in reality people who have only recently felt the draw of Japanese nostalgic cars rarely know -

Kenmeri - C110 Skyline. The name comes from the two characters in the Japanese advertising and commercials for the C110 Skyline. Ken and Mary. Simple one to understand and I believe the pronunciation is similar to English.

So, come on people. If everybody posted up one description and those that know helped with pronunciation we could all be a little bit better informed.

ToolZ, on the nosey !I think the point I was trying to make was that as non Japanese speakers, we are all at the mercy of translations that are either 3rd or 4th hand or generated by the the magic ( )that is the Internet.Watching youtube adds to the frustration, all Japanese car guys look like they're having a hoot but I dont get it !The obvious solution is that we all learn to speak & read the lingo, any shortfalls we may have as linguists could by made up with enthusiasm, but though I'm thinking about giving it a go it's a bit daunting.When I decided that I needed a C10 in my life I started looking at dealers in Japan, loved what I saw but even with google translate found myself having to translate the translations !At least the Japanese use a bit of English in the car world so we have a chance but I reckon a bit of night school is on the cards....

Dmk66, thanks for that.I was a bit worried about posting what I thought it meant and then being told I was way out.I think that is maybe why there have not been more posts here. People have a loose idea of what the terminology means but are worried about appearing foolish if they get it wrong.

Grachan (Garuchan) Style - Reference to the Grand Championships on Fuji Speedway (1970´s - 1980´s). These cars have similar styling to the cars that used to race (wide fenders etc. Super Silhouette style).

Boso - violently runningZoku - relating to a gangBōsōzoku - violent running gang. A Japanese subculture associated with motorcycle clubs and gangs. In reference to cars it usually means extravagantly over-styled body-kits, extended exhausts, crazy paint schemes and lowered into the abyss!Most Bosozoku cars are not however owned by gang members and should therefore be referred to as "Bosozoku-style" cars to avoid confusion.

Sha - carZokusha - gang car (alternative to Bosozoku)

I used to write these down as I encountered them back in the day. Unfortunately I do not have the book I wrote them in here in Dubai.I am working off memory then doing a quick search to confirm.

..... I'd like to have made the effort to speak their language rather than talk in English but slower & louder....

Agreed. There is a strong possibility that when I am finished out here in Dubai (probably at least another 4 or 5 years here though) I will be moving to Japan or very close proximity. I also will be traveling there at least twice over the next 4 years. Definitely want to start learning a little Japanese although I am currently struggling with very basic Arabic!

Thanks for your help guys! I am glad I'm not the only one interested/confused with the language of J-Tin.. A friend of mine (and fellow JNC head) from Taiwan and I have been discussing the possibility of visiting Japan someday as well, and I would like to not sound like a completely ignorant tourist, especially around cars.. perhaps we need to invest in those Rosetta Stone cd's?

Koreisha mark- orange and yellow teardrop shaped symbol put on cars driven by elderly drivers in Japan. Also bestowed upon experienced drivers or drivers of JNC's in foreign countries. My friend gave me one and it was an honor!

I'm going to add to ToolZ's definition here:

Tōge or Touge - "pass" as in a mountain pass or narrow winding road. Pronounced "TOW gay". Also applies to illegal racing on mountain roads, which evolved into modern day drifting.

Tsurikawa- Japanese subway hand-hold rings, traditionally stolen by bosozoku and hung from their rear tow hook or interior "oh shit handle" to demostrate their superior badassery or shakotan status- truly low cars will drag their tsuirkawa on the ground.

Topics of the week:Jul. 12, Tue. 23:30 - 0:00 (UTC) etc.Main Feature: Anime Decorated Car "ITASYA"Itasha - the name suggests some damage has been caused - are cars decorated all over. Some are covered with manga, animation or video-game characters, from Hatsune Miku or Haruhi Suzumiya to Lucky✩Star, others with logo stickers and so on. Motorbikes adorned this way are called "itansha". Itasha are booming in Japan and events are being held all over the country. 90% of owners are male and most are strictly hobbyists, but it can be an expensive hobby with some spending as much as 3 million yen to deck out a luxury car as an itasha. May 22nd was the day of the Ita G Festa 2011 Formation of Spring festival at Odaiba Rainbow Town on the Tokyo waterfront. About 1,000 cars were brought in for events including the King of Itasha Contest. Gow, our reporter, was there to see the cars, meet their owners and bring us all the inside news of the itasha hobby in Japan. We also watch as a charismatic itasha decorator sets to work - he goes simply by the sobriquet of R. How is he going to make it? How much does it normally cost? What makes it so addictive? And what do the itasha mean to their owners? We are back with the fanatics this week!

The explanation I was familiar with, was that itasha was a contraction of Italian/car, I guess it makes sense to the Japanese for Italians to plaster their cars with anime somehow. Enter new stereotype; though it does seem like all the ones that prompt outrage on blogs are italian cars, lol.

I'm not as displeased with the phenomena as I should be, they usually at least seem to victimize cars I don't feel too sorry about, and (rarely) if it's an anime I like, I can even perk my ears a bit... Mostly they seem to use the most vapid fan-service type shows as a basis. I feel the same way about the whole thing as I do about boso; i could never drive one in public, though it occasionally is at least interesting... I hope we don't start seeing Family Guy or Simpsons themed cars in the future though.

I hope we don't start seeing Family Guy or Simpsons themed cars in the future though.

no worries there, I think...the USDM equivalent is the stupid themed "Donks" you see from time to time. There's a Cutlass like mine for sale all dolled up to look like a stick of "Big Red" chewing gum...$10,000 in paint, rims, lift, and upholstery. It's been recently marked down to $2800. I paid $400 more for a bone-stock Cutlass two years ago.

Bippu/VIP: take the largest, most expensive luxury car you can find, deck it out with high tech options and lower it as much as physically possible. It's the upscale/luxury equivalent of Shakotan. These cars are often equipped with "Oni-kyan", or "demon camber" to tuck extremely wide alloy wheels under the fenders.

Dekotora: Commercial trucks decked out in chrome, bling and lights. One of my favorite Japanese styles!